12 Best Knowledge Base Software for 2024 (With Pricing)

As a business, you have loads of knowledge. The problem is how to capture and keep track of all that knowledge.

There are many options when it comes to managing your company's knowledge. One of the most powerful tools for centralizing your company's information and resources is a knowledge base.

In this article, I’ve compiled a list of the 12 of the best knowledge base software to help you compare services. 

Full disclosure: As the content marketing manager for ScreenSteps — a knowledge base software company — I’m inclined to say ScreenSteps is the best. But, the truth is that it is only true depending on what your end goal is. 

Before exploring the top 12 list, make sure you understand what a knowledge base is and get tips on how to choose the right knowledge base for your business.

JUMP TO TOP KNOWLEDGE BASE LIST

What is knowledge base software?

Knowledge base software helps companies organize their documents and resources in one location. The cloud-based software helps businesses create, store, and share information across the company. 

It is considered a single source of truth. Employees know where they can access information to find answers to their questions.

With knowledge base software, you can author policies and procedures in the platform. After which, you can organize those articles into different folders/sections. Then your employees can access the help guides to support them in their jobs.

There are different types of knowledge bases. Internal and external knowledge bases are the most common.

Internal knowledge base

An internal knowledge base provides your employees with the private information they need to complete their jobs. Only employees (or someone with a login) can access these policies and procedures. It is also known as a private knowledge base.

External knowledge base

An external knowledge base is a public knowledge base, meaning anyone can access information in this knowledge base. There is no login required to read the articles. This is a customer-facing platform that provides customers with a self-service option.

Free Knowledge Base 101 Guide

Download our free knowledge base software guide. This eBook provides an overview of what knowledge base software if, the benefits, and how to choose the right knowledge base software for your business. 

How to pick the best knowledge base software for your company

The truth is crowning the best knowledge base software isn’t as easy as having a footrace and the first to cross the finish line wins.

The best knowledge base for your company is going to be a knowledge base that helps you achieve your performance goals.

Generally, speaking knowledge base software helps you organize your company’s knowledge and resources into one location. But, there are many different types of knowledge bases. And, every knowledge base software has different strengths and weaknesses when it comes to managing your knowledge.

Some are internal or external knowledge bases. Some are great for authoring content. Others are great for tracking usage.

5 questions to answer before choosing a knowledge base

Before researching knowledge base options, watch this 4-minute video and prepare the following information:

1. What is the current state of knowledge transfer in your company?
2. What problems are you trying to solve with the knowledge base? 
3. What tools and features are essential?
4. What are your limitations? (i.e. budget, integration requirements, timeline, etc.)
5. How will you measure success?

For more tips on how to choose the right knowledge base for your company, read this article. It will help you collect all the information you need to make the best decision for your business. And, that’s what we all really want.

12 best knowledge base software in 2024

In no particular order, here are 12 of the best knowledge base software companies that help you organize your company’s resources in one location.

12 Best Knowledge Base Platforms in 2024

1. ScreenSteps
2. Helpjuice
3. Document360
4. Confluence
5. Bloomfire
6. KnowledgeOwl
7. Slite
8. Shelf
9. Spekit
10. Knowmax
11. Help Scout
12. Zendesk

1. ScreenSteps

Site: screensteps.com | G2 Customer Review

ScreenSteps is not just a knowledge base. It's a comprehensive tool where you can plan, create, and assess the effectiveness of your knowledge transfer strategy.

With ScreenSteps, you have both internal and external knowledge base options. It is a centralized place to store all your knowledge management, knowledge ops, and knowledge transfer resources.

A ScreenSteps knowledge base has all the tools of a traditional knowledge base plus additional tools to help you plan and create content as well as train and support employees.

See how ScreenSteps compares to a traditional knowledge base here.

Cost

For an internal knowledge base, ScreenSteps plans start at $250 per month. This plan includes 10 users and you can add on additional users for $5 per user per month.

For a customer-facing knowledge base, ScreenSteps plans start at $300 per month. This includes 10 contributors. Additional contributors cost $5 per contributor per month.

ScreenSteps offers a 14-day free trial to explore the knowledge base software. Sign up for a ScreenSteps free trial here.

Notable features

• Simple and powerful authoring tools, including unique integrated screen capture
• Browser extension for on-page access to guides
• Content certification to ensure articles are up to date
• Software integrations, including Salesforce, Teams, Slack, and more
• Knowledge planner to help you plan your knowledge base articles
• Foundational courses
• User analytics
• Find & Follow Framework to help change behaviors around knowledge

Who is a good fit for ScreenSteps?

Your company would be a good fit for ScreenSteps if:

• You need a way to transfer knowledge more efficiently
• You need a full knowledge solution that helps improve documentation, employee performance, and employee training
• You have complex procedures
• You are planning to grow your business

2. Helpjuice

Site: helpjuice.com | G2 Customer Review

Image via Helpjuice.com

Helpjuice too is a standalone knowledge base software. The knowledge base software can be used for an internal and external knowledge base.

One of the biggest advantages of Helpjuice is the site integration options. The software integrates with Slack, Microsoft Teams, Freshdesk, Salesforce, and more.

No matter which level of plan you choose with Helpjuice, all of the features are available.

Cost

Helpjuice plans start at $120/month for 4 users. All of their plans include all of their features. Helpjuice offers a 14-day free trial. 

Notable features

• Authoring and content formatting tools
• Article editor options including WYSIWYG and markdown
• Collaboration tools for writing and editing articles
• Usage analytics
• Customized themes for the site
• Site integration, including Slack, Microsoft Teams, Freshdesk, Salesforce, and more

Who is a good fit for Helpjuice

Your company could be a good fit for Helpjuice if:

• You have a large organization where you need a lot of users and are on a tight budget
• Your main focus is documenting and sharing knowledge

3. Document360

Site: document360.com | G2 Customer Review

Image via document360.com

Document360 offers both public and private knowledge base sites. It allows you to create multiple knowledge base sites, depending on your plan and the number of projects you purchase.

This is a standalone knowledge base, meaning there are no other programs associated with Document360. The program’s focus is on documenting and sharing knowledge.

Cost

For a public knowledge base, Document360 plans start at $199 per project per month with 3 users. Document360 does offer a free plan for a public knowledge base. However, that plan is limited to 50 articles and only two users.

For a private knowledge base, Document360 offers plans starting at $399 per project per month.

If you want both a private and public knowledge base, Document360 has the Enterprise plan that offers both at $599 per project per month.

Notable features

• Category manager
• Decision trees
• HTML (WYSIWYG) editor
• Embed images, screenshots, & videos
• Team roles
• Customization and branding
• Analytics (i.e. Team reports, search insights, etc.)
• Eddy AI Assist

Who is a good fit for Document360

Your company could be a good fit for Document360 if:

• You want to have both a public and private knowledge base
• You want the basic documenting and sharing software without other organization bells and whistles
• You are a small team of 2 and don't have more than 50 policies or procedures

4. Confluence

Site: atlassian.com/software/confluence | G2 Customer Review

Image via Confluence

Confluence is more than a knowledge base. The company positions itself as a “knowledge management and project collaboration” tool.

As part of the Atlassian suite, it integrates easily with other Atlassian tools, including Jira and Trello.

Because Confluence has been around for a while now, it has a robust collection of features. That can cause a challenge because it is a steeper learning curve than other knowledge base software services.

Cost

Confluence has a free version for up to 10 users. If you have more than 10 users, then plans start at $5.50 per user per month. There are personalized enterprise plans available for an annual subscription.

Notable features

• Viewer permissions
• Best practice templates
• Authoring collaboration tools including editing, tagging, commenting, and notifications
• Atlassian integrations and apps
• Atlassian Intelligence (AI) 

Who is a good fit for Confluence

Your company could be a good fit for Confluence if:

• Your company already uses the Atlassian suite, specifically Jira
• You want additional workspace management tools outside of a knowledge base
• You have experienced content authors
• You want flexibility in design

5. Bloomfire

Site: bloomfire.com | G2 Customer Review

Image via help.bloomfire.com

Bloomfire is a knowledge management platform designed to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and organizational learning within businesses. Its purpose is to create a centralized hub where teams can access and contribute to a collective knowledge base.

The platform's flexibility allows it to cater to both small and large enterprises.

By facilitating efficient knowledge sharing and collaboration, Bloomfire helps businesses streamline their workflows, reduce information silos, and improve the decision-making processes.

Cost

According to G2, Bloomfire plans start at $1,750 for up to 100 users. Talla, the foundational knowledge base tool, has a flat rate charge of $460.

Notable features

• Talla, a foundational knowledge base with AI conversational features (additional charge)
• Content categorization
• Analytic tools
• Bookmarks
• Integrations with MS Teams, Slack, and others

Who is a good fit for Bloomfire?

Your company is a good fit for Bloomfire if:

• You're a larger corporation
• You value collaboration, continuous learning, and the efficient exchange of information

6. KnowledgeOwl

Site: knowledgeowl.com | G2 Customer Review

Image via knowledgeowl.com

KnowledgeOwl is a robust knowledge base software designed to empower businesses in efficiently organizing and sharing information. It is a single source of truth that focuses on helping you organize and access your guides.

With KnowledgeOwl, you have both public and private knowledge base options.

Cost

Plans start at $79 for KnowledgeOwl. That includes one author. You can add additional authors for $20 per month and additional knowledge bases for $40 per month.

Notable features

• Unlimited files
• Contextual help
• Comment notification emails
• Educational resources upload (i.e. videos, exercises, etc.)
• Glossary for company definitions

Who is a good fit for KnowledgeOwl?

Your company is a good fit for KnowledgeOwl if:

• You are looking for an easy-to-manage interface
• You want a place to store all your resources, including knowledge base articles and videos

7. Slite

Site: slite.com | G2 Customer Review

Image via Slite Help Center

Slight is a collaborative knowledge base that is used for collaboration and documentation. Its primary role is to serve as a centralized hub for teams to create, organize, and share notes and documents collaboratively. 

It aims to provide teams with a dynamic and interactive space for knowledge management.

Slite helps businesses improve transparency, enhance productivity, and build a valuable resource for onboarding, project management, and day-to-day operations.

Cost

Slite has a free plan that includes up to 50 docs. After that, Slite plans start at $8 per member per month. Note that Slite plans also include an attachment storage limit of 10GB per user.

Notable features

• Ask – an AI-powered answer platform
• Google Drive file embedding
• Real-time collaboration
• Channel Guests – users can invite up to five collaborators

Who is a good fit for Slite?

Your company is a good fit for Slite if:

• You have a growing team
• You have a remote team

8. Shelf

Site: shelf.io | G2 Customer Review

Image via G2 Reviews

Shelf is a knowledge management platform designed to centralize and organize information. The purpose of Shelf is to offer a user-friendly and intuitive platform where teams can create, manage, and share content seamlessly.

Shelf leans heavily into the generative AI with MerlinAI. The AI features help employees create content as well as search for answers.

Primarily, Shelf is used by contact centers or other customer service-related businesses.

With Shelf, you can store a variety of content types, including documents, articles, and multimedia.

Cost

Shelf plans start at $4,000 per month for 100 users. The price increases with the number of users and portals.

Notable features

• Answer assist
• Self-service portal
• MerlinAI
• Multiple languages
• Integrations with Salesforce, Zendesk, Slack, and more

Who is a good fit for Shelf?

Your company is a good fit for Shelf if:

• You are a contact center or call center
• You assist people in multiple languages

9. Spekit

Site: spekit.com | G2 Customer Review

Screenshot via spekit.com

Spekit is a digital coaching system with a knowledge base feature. It aims to enhance employee training, onboarding, and knowledge retention by providing in-app guidance and documentation. 

The software offers a seamless solution for contextual learning. The design provides employees with real-time access to information within their workflows.

As a knowledge base, Spekit stands out by embedding information directly into the applications and platforms that teams use regularly.

Cost

Because each package is customizable, you have to contact the Spekit sales team for pricing.

Notable features

• SpekitAI
• Chrome extension
• Knowledge checks
• Speks for continuous learning embedded into the app
• Integrations with Salesforce, Slack, Seismic, and others

Who is a good fit for Spekit?

Your company is a good fit for Spekit if:

• You want more continuous learning opportunities to train your team
• You are focused on employee training more than documentation
• You are using it for your revenue team

10. Knowmax

Site: knowmax.ai | G2 Customer Review

Image via knowmax.ai

Knowmax is a knowledge management platform that is focused on the customer experience. It is a single source of truth where you can store and share your standard operating procedure (SOPs) with your employees.

The guided workflows help break down complex troubleshooting and walk employees through how to handle a scenario.

Cost

For Knowmax pricing, schedule a demo with the company.

Notable features

• Interactive decision trees
• Visual how-to guides
• Contactless support (self-service for customers)
• Customized templates

Who is a good fit for Knowmax?

Your company is a good fit for Knowmax if:

• You want a visual way to document your decision trees
• You need both an internal and external knowledge base

11. Help Scout

Site: helpscout.com | G2 Customer Review

Image via helpscout.com

Help Scout is a help desk that has a knowledge base as part of its software. The knowledge base is referred to as “Docs.” Help Scout is used to support customer service teams that are answering customer questions.

Content authors create articles that your customer service agents can pull up to answer customer questions via email or chat. Help Scout also allows customers to self-service answers.

Beyond a knowledge base, Help Scout has additional features for working as a team. Those include a shared inbox and live chat.

Cost

Help Scout has plans starting at $20/user per month for an annual plan ($25 if monthly) for up to 25 users. It costs up to $65/user per month for an annual plan. The top plan is only available in an annual plan.

Notable features

• Simple authoring tools
• Contextual help widget (Beacon)
• Usage insights
• Integrations with other software
• Shared inbox

Who is a good fit for Help Scout?

Your company could be a good fit for Help Scout if:

• You are a customer service team that answers emails
• You want a help desk that is paired with a knowledge base to support your team
• You are a startup
• You don’t have complex procedures |

12. Zendesk

Site: zendesk.com | G2 Customer Review

Image via zendesk.com

Zendesk has a suite of software tools that support businesses in the workplace. Its knowledge base options include an internal knowledge base that supports experts to complete support tickets. Also, ZenDesk has a customer-facing, self-service option.

Zendesk combines your knowledge base and help desk tickets in one place. The help center features include support for email, voice, SMS, and live chat.

While ZenDesk has a knowledge base, it isn’t the primary focus of the software. It is a good option if your company already uses other ZenDesk software tools.

Cost

Zendesk has plans starting at $55 per agent per month. Zendesk does not have an a la carte option where you can get just the knowledge base.

Notable features

• Automation and workflow
• Ticketing system
• AI-automated answers (limited)
• Different support channels (i.e. email, voice, SMS, and live chat support)
• 1,000+ apps and integrations
• Answer bot to recommend articles
• Mobile app

Who is a good fit for Zendesk

Your company could be a good fit for Zendesk if:

• You are an enterprise customer
• You are looking to connect your team from multiple departments
• You are already using ZenDesk for its sales, marketing, or other software tools

Note: If you are looking just for a knowledge base to organize and share your policies and procedures, Zendesk isn’t the right fit for you.

Ready for a closer look at our knowledge base software?

Hopefully, you’ve found information in this article that helps you discern which knowledge base software you should further investigate.

With a ScreenSteps knowledge base, you have all the tools you need to centralize your knowledge and make it easy for employees to access the right guide. But ScreenSteps knows software alone won't solve your knowledge transfer problems. 

When you pair our knowledge base with the Find & Follow Framework, you can train new hires in 30 days or less. Plus, our customers have seen improved NPS scores, customer satisfaction, and improved employee performance scores.

Wondering if ScreenSteps is the right knowledge base for your company?

Schedule a 15-30-minute demo with a ScreenSteps rep. Our experts can answer your questions and help you determine if ScreenSteps could help you achieve your knowledge transfer goals.